Dreamcatcher
by lovely.catastrophe
Summary: Dreams were just supposed to be fragments of our imaginations. They weren't supposed to come to life.
1. Prologue

The Basics: Okay, so… Here's the deal. The end of Kingdom Hearts II basically spurred me on to start dreaming up ideas about this fic. Cuz I mean, anything could happen after THAT, yeah? Plus, I got to thinking about the small part Kairi really played in the games. Other than being one of the seven Princesses, a password, and Sora's love interest. Well, I figured she should have her own story. And I don't like her and Sora as a pairing, so there. :P She'll be paired up with an OC in this fic, and at one point you'll get to decide who (to a point. I may just pick myself. S'my fic. Haha) Anyways, this is the first fanfic I've authored for and I hope you enjoy it.

Summary: A year has passed since the defeat of Xemnas and all is well and peaceful on Destiny Islands. But poor Kairi is bored and longing for adventures of her own. So when creatures called the Imagi, born of Dreams, begin to threaten the safety of the Worlds, will she finally get her chance to prove that she's a little more than just… Kairi?

Pairings: They'll probably be more clearer as the story goes along, but for now I don't wish to divulge any of that information.

Warning: This fic MIGHT contain a little bit of girl x girl love. Nothing hardcore, but love, like fluffy-mushy-kissy stuff. And cuddling. I -heart- cuddling. :) If you don't like it, don't read it.

Disclaimer: I DO in fact, own a copy of KH, and KHII. I didn't, however, make the game, so I don't own the characters. I wish I did, cuz Riku's kinda hot, but sadly, I don't. The OC's are my creations, though, as is this story mostly. And… um… that's it?

_-Lovely Catastrophe-  
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**----Prologue----**

_"Nothing happens unless first we dream."  
--__Carl Sandberg  
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Riku and Sora had had their fill of adventures.

Sora was the Keyblade's chosen wielder. He had been picked to save the Worlds from the onslaught of… well, first the Heartless, and then the Nobodies as well. Add to that the Organization, and the young boy had a lot on his plate. And didn't he already save the Worlds once? He kind of wished they would just stay saved…

Then there was Riku. Sure his intentions for good got a little messed up when Xehanort possessed his body, but he turned out alright. Things might not have run so smoothly without him working behind the scenes in the Realm of Darkness. And even though he would have been content staying behind in said Realm, he was a little more than glad to be back home again.

And so, when the two boys arrived back on Destiny Islands, they more or less became a bit… well… sluggish is too nice of a word.

But what about Kairi?

She had to admit, she was a tad bit jealous of her best friends' endeavors. They got to run around, doing all the fun stuff like fighting and whatnot, leaving her on the Islands to worry and wish that she could have been there with them. And now that they were back (not that she wasn't grateful) all they wanted to do was eat, sleep, and loaf around.

It was horribly…

Boring.

And to top that all off, her interest in Sora had diminished fairly quickly in the few months after his and Riku's return. The boy she had loved wasn't at all the young man she knew now. She had expected him to come back like some battle-worn soldier, wanting nothing more than to spend his days with the woman he left behind. Unfortunately for her, Sora didn't have any of that on his mind. He was still a bit too immature to understand much about love, and even though it was true that he was infatuated with Kairi, his feelings for her didn't run as deep as hers for him did.

They had tried to build a relationship that was more than friendship, but they had been away from each other too long and grown too different for that to work.

So there Kairi was, longing for something more, wishing she could have an adventure of her own as she walked along the sandy shores of Destiny Islands. She was only vaguely aware of the reason she had come outside, which was to find Sora and Riku (they were the only quiet company the Islands offered, seeing as she didn't really feel like hanging out with the overly hyper Selphie, Tidus, OR Wakka.)

It wasn't long before she spotted them sitting among the Paopu Fruit trees, basking lazily in the sun, and discussing something amongst themselves. She wordlessly walked over and sat down beside the two, as was her custom: Kairi would quietly listen as they spoke of their endeavors, drinking in every word as if they were the last she'd ever hear.

The boys were discussing Keyblades and whatnot, when her mind began to wander, and her clear blue gaze drifted over to the sea in front of them. She watched the waves churn and dance, shards of light reflecting off of them and bouncing every which way. Kairi continued to stare across the water for a little while, until she noticed a small object floating in the waves.

The little thing seemed to be somewhat shiny, as it would reflect the glare of the sun every now and then, and it also seemed to be floating directly towards the Island. She watched it until it rolled onto the shore: A little bottle, and it looked as though it had something inside.

Curious, Kairi decided to leave the conversation for a moment, and she walked down towards the shore, stopping in front of the object that had piqued her interest for a good five minutes or so. She bent down and picked up the bottle, holding it up to the sun's rays for a better view of it's contents.

A letter… with the King's seal?

Her heart jumped slightly as she realized the importance of what she now held in her hands. Quickly she ran back up the hill to where Riku and Sora were STILL talking, and when she slid to a halt, she was panting like a racehorse.

"Guys! …Message! …King's seal! …Look!"

That was all she managed to get out, and as Sora got to his feet, she handed over the bottle to him. He pulled the cork out and slid the paper out into his hand, after which he fumbled to unroll the thing and began to read it. Riku glanced over his shoulder, and Kairi strained to do the same. (Hey, it was a hard thing to do, especially when both boys had a few inches on her.)

After he finished the note, Sora shrugged, and handed it to Kairi. "It's for you, not us." He stated, blinking a few times. He and Riku seemed a bit put off about something, so Kairi was anxious to read what the King had to say.

She unrolled the message and began to read:

"_To Kairi, Princess of Heart:_

_I hope all is going well on Destiny Islands._

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The Worlds seem to be getting back to their peaceful states once again, yet I cannot shake this feeling that evil is yet again lurking over our shoulders._

_I know, it may be too soon to tell... _

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Barely a year has passed since Xemnas was defeated._

_But…_

_I think that I'm going to go with my gut instinct on this one. And I don't think that Sora or Riku will be able to help with this problem. _

_I need YOUR help, Kairi. You may be the key to vanquishing this new enemy._

_I also know that you'll probably have a lot of questions for me. So I'll be sending Chip and Dale with the Gummi Ship to take you back here to Disney Castle, where you and I can discuss these things in private._

_And don't let Sora or Riku come with you, either. Their time for fighting is over. I'm afraid that now they would only hinder the mission, rather than help it. Tell them no hard feelings, though. They need only to rest now and be happy that they get some well-earned R&R._

_See you soon._

_KM_"

The trio was quiet for a moment as Kairi mulled over the letter several times, trying to make sure that her vision (and her mind) wasn't playing games with her.

'He wants… ME? To help save the Worlds? But I'm just…'

She paused for a moment, thinking to herself. '…What exactly am I? They call me Princess of Heart… but is that all I really am? I'm not a heroine… I can't save the world, can I? …Can I?' Kairi shook her head. 'Or maybe… this isn't a matter of what I can and can't do… maybe this is a matter of what I MUST do.'

"That settles it." Her voice caused Riku and Sora to both jump, the silence suddenly shattered.

"What settles it?" Asked Riku inquisitively, "Are you going to go, Kairi?"

She nodded. "This is something… I think I have to do. If the Worlds truly need me, who am I to say no?" Although, secretly she knew she would never turn down such an opportunity for adventure.

Sora pouted, turning away from them. It was clear that he wasn't too happy with the current state of events. But after a moment, he sighed and faced Kairi. "Well, good luck then. We'll be cheering for you back here at home."

Riku grinned and nodded, ruffling the young girl's hair. "Be careful. And you'll have to tell us EVERYTHING when you get back, okay?"

Kairi smiled. "Of course I will. I won't leave out a single detail— " But anything else she might have said was drowned out as the Gummi Ship's engines were heard roaring overhead; It flew erratically towards the shore before landing, and she figured that the brothers piloting the ship were having another one of their sibling spats.

This thought caused her to giggle, and she waved goodbye to her friends, skipping off towards the ship.

As she approached, a door on the side of the ship opened, and a ramp slid out so that she could board it. Kairi hesitated for a moment. In that moment she realized that her destiny was calling for her, beckoning for her to enter that ship and sail off right away. It caused her to shiver, and all of a sudden an urge to stay planted right there on that shore flooded her mind.

But no, she couldn't stay. Kairi steeled herself, somehow managing to shove the fear aside. This was what she had to do. She just HAD to. Whether she wanted to or not, this was where she was going.

And as she stepped inside the Gummi Ship, another thought popped into her head.

She just might find out who she was on the way.

Riku and Sora had had their fill of adventures.

Now it was time to start hers…

……………………………………………………

And that, my friends, is the Prologue.

Hope you liked it, and if not… well… please save your rotten fruit until I've gotten into the actual plotline. It gets better, I promise!

Reviews would be lovely, though. :)

I can always go for some constructive criticism.

Chapter One coming soon. Maybe even a little later tonight. We'll see how long my creative juices flow.


	2. Birth of the Imagi

EasyMac is freakin' hot. Really freakin' hot. Especially when you pull it right out of the microwave. Mhm.

Anyways, I'm sitting here bored, so I decided to go ahead and write another chapter while my ideas are fresh in my mind. So hold on tight as we delve even further into this plot…

Lovely Catastrophe  
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**Chapter One: Birth of the Imagi**  
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Somewhere far off from the other Worlds, in a dark and hollow mansion, three figures made their way through a shadowed corridor, good intentions probably not on their minds.

A scruffy voice spoke up first, breaking the silence.

"I'm not so sure we should still go on wit dis, Pike… wot if the boss don' really know wot e's doin', eh?"

There was a thud, like that of an elbow colliding with someone's ribs. A second voice spoke.

"Shut it, Frenzy. He knows exactly what he's doing. Silas is one o' them chaotic types of people. Y'know… the ones that don't exactly have their heads screwed on right, but definitely knowin' what they're doin'…"

Following the second voice, there was a sharp hiss, and two resounding slap-like noises. Then another voice spoke.

"Quiet… If Silas hears you two, it'll be bad news for all three of us. So shut up and do your jobs."

There was more grumbling, then silence ensued, save for the quiet footsteps that the trio made as they plodded down the hallway. They emerged into a white room moments later, the stark contrast of light and dark causing them to stumble and blink stupidly for a moment.

Their figures could be plainly made out now; they weren't exactly human, but they weren't much of anything else, either. Their names were Pike, Frenzy, and Raimi. Flunkies of the young Dreamweaver, Silas. They were about two feet tall, and looked almost fairy or elf-like; their ears were pointed, and faces slender like their bodies. They wore ragged clothing, which did little more than keep them covered. They also had bat-like wings, which protruded from their shoulder blades; small appendages that seemed like they were more for show rather than for flying.

Pike's skin was a dark purple, and his teeth were crooked and sharp, poking from behind his lips in a menacing fashion. His wild mane of hair was about as long as his little body, unkempt, and the color of fire. His eyes were a piercing orange, and he would have looked to be incredibly intelligent and interesting from a distance. But in reality, he was as stupid as a rock.

Frenzy was more or less the trio's pet. He did nothing much else than be uncertain about Silas's plans, and he wasn't a very good fighter. If it were possible, he was probably even dumber than Pike. He had light green skin, and a black Mohawk that ran from the widow's peak on his forehead to the middle of his back. His eyes were a dull gray, and when you looked at him, it was like looking into a cookie jar whenever you were extremely hungry. Empty.

And then there was Raimi. The brains and leader of the trio. He wasn't as stocky as Pike, or as tall as Frenzy, but had a more slender and girlish build (which caused many people to be confused as to his gender). Like Frenzy, he had jet-black hair, but his was a little longer and he kept it tied back in a small ponytail. His skin was a light blue color, and his eyes were a dark crimson red. He always wore a knowing smirk, as though he was reading a person's mind while he watched them.

They were not actually fairies at all. They were Imagi, born of Dreams. Silas had brought them to life one day while sifting through the nightmares of a teenaged girl. They had been his minions ever since, always loyal, though not always the brightest or most efficient.

And now as they stood before their master, they could not shake the sense that what he was about to do was either incredibly brilliant, or horribly impossible.

Silas, however, had a look of confidence on his face as he peered into the cylindrical bowl before him. The device was used for peering into a person's dreams and creating Imagi from those dreams. And he, being the Dreamweaver, had the power to do just that.

He was no more than a boy, barely seventeen, yet his maturity was way beyond his years. Silas knew things a mere boy would not have been expected to know. He was tall and slender, having an almost angelic appearance. His hair was snow-white and fell about his shoulders in little, perfect ringlets. His eyes were a deep amber color, and they seemed to almost be like a mirror; no one was getting in, and nothing was coming out.

The Dreamweaver sighed, and blew a small strand of hair out of his face. He was searching through the dreams and nightmares, trying to find the perfect pawns for his perfect idea.

Suddenly, he parted his slender lips and began to speak, with a voice that was as smooth and sweet as honey.

"Do you three know why you are here?" He asked, turning his amber gaze upon his minions.

They cringed slightly, not a one of them daring to speak until Raimi cleared his throat and somehow found the courage to reply.

"Because you brought us to life, sir?"

Silas sighed, giving him a somewhat mournful look.

"Aye, but that is only a half truth, my friend. You are here because I pulled you out of some young child's mind… but you do not truly live." Silas paused, seeing that his flunkies were looking a bit confused. "Let me explain. You do live, in the sense that you dwell here… in the Dream World. But you don't live like the humans whose minds you were plucked from. You have emotions, that's true. And hearts, as well. But you cannot experience life the way the humans do…

"They experience trials and suffering. You, although you may experience pain, do not go through the same thing. Therefore, you are unchanging. You do not grow old, you do not die, and you do not get stronger. You simply… ARE."

The Dreamweaver sighed once more.

"And I, even though I was born human, am no more human than you are. I have the same fate that you do, doomed for an unchanging eternity." His sad look turned into that of a malicious smirk. "That's where my plan comes in…

"A link from the World of the Imagi to the Worlds of the humans. One that we can use to go between our World and the others; one that we can use to take their lands as our own—"

"But uh, boss…" Pike interjected here, his mind a swirl with many thoughts. "What if the humans don't want to just GIVE us their Worlds?"

Silas smirked again, not looking as angelic as before.

"You forget. When certain Imagi are created under the right conditions, they can have god-like powers. We'll be unstoppable. Even if their latest hero… that key-toting little brat… even if he tried to stand in our way, he'd be crushed. Imagi aren't Heartless or Nobody. They do exist, and they do have hearts. Destroying them isn't as simple as sticking a key in a lock and turning it."

He turned back to his cylindrical dream pool. Amber eyes surveyed the magical waters within for a while, before he let out a malevolent snicker, placing his hands on the sides of the bowl and causing it to glow.

His fairy-like minions began to tremble just a bit. Surely their master was out of his mind. To take on one World would have been an easy task, but to take on and conquer all of them at once? Humans were innumerable, and the Worlds did have their King and Keyblade master to protect them. Still… Silas hadn't ever been wrong before.

The plan was sounding better and better to the three of them. A world where they would experience change… Where they wouldn't have to live in constant frilly clouds or endless darkness. Worlds that had wondrous and magical landscapes and filled with surprises as far as the eye could see. It was almost too much for them to hope for. They could live like the humans lived. Hell, they would RULE the humans.

They began to snicker amongst themselves, paying no attention to what Silas was conjuring up.

Out of the pool of magic Dream water, a figure began to rise, dripping with the fluids that the bowl contained. It was tall and muscular, human-like in build, but it had pointed cat ears that were twitching beneath the creature's long, curly black hair, trying to shake off some of the fluids. It was undeniably male, (which was discovered after the being pulled his waist free from the bowl), and every inch of his body seemed to be made of muscles hard as rock. The tips of his finger and toenails tapered off into slender claws, and he had a fuzzy, ropy black tail that swished back and forth wildly.

The cat person, upon exiting the Dream bowl, rolled to the ground beside it, coughing up some of the fluids and trying to get the rest off his body. He was feral, it seemed, as Silas tried to approach him with a large towel, and nearly got his hand bitten off by the creature's sharp white fangs. So the Dreamweaver let his new creation lie there a moment, its' slitted crimson eyes never leaving him for a second.

Silas went back to the bowl, repeating the motions that had made the bowl glow the first time, and conjured up a second creature. This time it was female, slender and lean, yet she did appear to be strong, wiry muscles taut in her limbs and torso. She had short, unkempt blonde hair that stuck out in all directions, and like the male, she too had cat-like ears and a tail.

Once the female had climbed from the bowl, she sprawled out on the floor, heaving fluids and panting heavily. Unlike the other, she let Silas approach and lay the towel over her form, but she didn't let him get any closer than that. Her eyes were crimson like the male's, and if one looked close enough, they might have thought the two were twins.

Which was exactly what they were.

The Dreamweaver approached them, his lips still curved in a smirk. "Welcome to the world of the living. You are my creations, pulled from the mind of a Dreamer, and given life by the powers within me. I have summoned you so that you might help me with a mission I am dead set on completing. I wish to take over the Worlds. To rebuild them in a fashion that they would serve the Imagi alone. But in order to do this I must eradicate the humans and other inhabitants living there already.

"I cannot do this alone. Which is why I need your help. You are strong, far stronger than I, and cunning as well, noble Imagi. Will you aide me? If you do, you will be greatly rewarded, I can assure you of that…"

The cat-beings glanced at one another, locked in an intense gaze, before the male turned to Silas, his grin much more evil than any look the Dreamweaver could have ever conjured up.

"We will do whatever you will have us to do, Master."

Silas laughed quietly. "Good… good… Then I suppose I should give you both names…" He walked over to the male, who stood as he approached, hostility subsiding to a mild sort of loyalty.

"You will be known as Aidan."

The male seemed pleased with his identity, and bowed slightly to the Dreamweaver. Silas then turned to the female, who also rose as she was approached, surveying him with a quiet kind of curiosity.

"And you… your name will be Eileen."

She nodded, no emotion apparent in her facial features or body language. The Dreamweaver motioned to his minions, who had been all but forgotten since the new Imagi were created from the bowl.

"See to it that our new friends are properly cleaned, clothed, and fed. After that, let them get some rest…"

He walked back towards the bowl, placing his hands on the edge and gazing deeply inside it. "For tomorrow… we will begin to carry out our plans…"

…………………

Well, seeing as this chapter is a tad bit lengthy, I decided to cut it off here, and continue the part of the story with Kairi in the next chapter, which will probably be coming soon later tonight, seeing as I'm on a roll with this writing thing.

Again, reviews are love.


	3. Destiny

Still writing like a workhorse.

No time for food.

Gotta write this before it leaves my head.

Hopefully this chapter isn't as weird as the last one.

-_Lovely Catastrophe  
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**Chapter Two: Destiny  
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What on earth could have possibly driven her to come to this damned castle? Oh yeah, that's right. It was the fact she didn't have enough ADVENTURE in her life. Well, after being tossed around on the Gummi Ship by two chipmunks that could drive just about as good as they could keep their mouths shut, Kairi wasn't so sure she liked the word ADVENTURE anymore.

So it wasn't really a surprise when she reached solid ground again that she fell to her knees and started kissing the Astroturf-like grass that was the Disney Gardens. Land! How good it was to see LAND again. If she ever got her hands on one of those blasted chipmunks, she would strangle them.

Regaining her composure, Kairi got back to her feet, and began to wander around the gardens for a bit, completely unsure of where she was supposed to go. This was the Castle, but where in the Castle was the King?

She stumbled around for a bit, absently admiring the greenery and sculptures, before she felt a hand grab her arm and drag her off behind one of said sculptures. Kairi stifled a yelp, turning to come face to face with King Mickey.

He placed a finger over his mouth, and his eyes darted around cautiously.

"Come with me."

……………….

He led her through the hallways to a small room, through the door of which she was shoved inside, and soon after he followed, locking the door behind him.

"Long time no see, Kairi. Probably longer than I would have liked, considering the circumstances."

He offered her a seat, which she accepted, mind brimming with questions.

"Sir… exactly what circumstances are you talking about?"

The mouse King placed his elbows on the shabby table in front of them, lacing his fingers together in a thoughtful position.

"Kairi… When you're asleep, do you ever have dreams, or nightmares?"

She thought this a rather strange question for him to ask her, and tilted her head in a confused manner, her royal blue eyes blinking.

"Of course, all the time. But… what does that have to do with—"

Mickey waved a hand, shaking his head.

"Everything. Remember that new threat I mentioned in the letter? It's DREAMS, Kairi. Dreams. Or more precisely, it's a group of creatures born of dreams. The Imagi. In the Dream World, they're perfectly harmless, but in our Worlds, they could be deadly. They have no limitations, no inhibitions to keep them from doing wrong. In fact, they know no wrong or right, or the fine line that separates them."

Kairi absently scratched her ear, trying to comprehend all that the King had said.

"Um… okay… but… they can't get to our Worlds, right? Er… what exactly IS the Dream World?"

Yeah. Too much for her to handle all at once. She was a bright girl, but she didn't know EVERYTHING.

"The Dream World is the place you go when you're dreaming. The dreamers, but not the dreams can manipulate it in any way. So the Dreams, or the Imagi, they live in a world completely devoid of change. They themselves don't change, either. They just kinda ARE, y'know?"

The King then sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples to massage them.

"As for your other question… no, technically, they shouldn't be able to enter our Worlds… But the Dreamweaver—I don't know his name—he's been tampering with the pathways between worlds to try and find a link to the Dream World from them. And since no one knows exactly where the Dream World is, we can't stop him from building the link until it's too late."

Okay, so far so good. But…

"Why do you need me then?" Kairi inquired, "This sounds like something that Sora or Riku, or even you by yourself could handle. Why am I even here?"

"Because," Mickey replied, "You are pure. Your heart is untainted by any amount of evil whatsoever. That does not mean you are not tempted, but you have not been lead astray. To send someone to the Dream World to fight would be foolishness unless that person was able to withstand a large amount of temptation. Sora, though he has a good heart, is too immature and curious to resist new things. And Riku once allied with darkness, even though it WAS for a good cause. Temptation is a part of his being.

"You on the other hand, have a clearer head on your shoulders… Besides, in this particular case, I do not believe that the Keyblades will be of much help. So…"

He began to shuffle through some papers on the table, not even giving Kairi a moment to catch up with his words and try to understand.

"I need you to protect the Worlds from harm. The Imagi are cunning, and they will use any trick in their power to try and keep us from stopping them. They will also manipulate innocent people in order to get what they want. If the Imagi DO find a link into our Worlds, I need you to help defeat them and send them back to the Dream World."

Kairi's head was truly buzzing by now, the information overload waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much for her.

"But… I don't even have a weapon, and I can't really fight… and… How am I supposed to do this on my own?"

Mickey began to laugh, which made Kairi scowl slightly. She didn't find anything at all amusing about the situation.

"Don't worry about it, Kairi, I've got it all planned out. I'll be sending you to Radiant Garden next. Leon has your equipment, Aerith's got your outfit, and Yuffie's been making arrangements for somebody to accompany you on your quest. So whaddya say? Will you do it?"

Kairi vaguely realized that this must be what they mean by having 'the weight of the world on your shoulders'. Though in her case it would be World_s_. She pondered the whole thing once more, rolling it around in her head until finally she made a decision.

"Well… I can't really say no… If the Worlds need me, then it's my duty to try and help as best I can… I really do hope you can count on me."

The mouse King hopped out of his seat and over to her side of the table, where he clasped one of her hands in both of his.

"Oh, I knew you would do it! I know we can count on you. The Worlds will be trouble-free in no time!"

Mickey then began to ramble on about mission plans: where she would go, what she would need, etc., etc., but the Princess wasn't really paying much attention. Excitement and apprehension were having a boxing match in her stomach, and if they continued to punch the walls much more, she might just lose it along with her lunch.

She wanted to believe as much as the King that she really was the right one for this job. That she really COULD do it… But she didn't even REALLY know what she was up against.

Imagi…

The word sounded slightly malevolent…

And all this time she had thought that the safest place was in her dreams, hm.

…………………..

"Leooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon! She's gonna be here any moment and they haven't even shown up yet!"

The last three words from Yuffie's mouth came out as a piercing staccato that annoyed Leon to no end. All he managed to give her as a reply was a grunt and a frown that told her he didn't wish to be bothered.

Yuffie wasn't very good at reading body language.

"So what do I do? I mean, the Princess can't just run off without her freakin' escorts! I mean look at Sora, he had freakin' escorts! It's only right that she gets some too! And some freakin' good ones if I have anything to do with it!"

"Yuffie…"

The ninja woman whirled around to face him, surprised that she had actually elicited a reply.

"What?"

"Two words."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"…Oh."

Leon's two words didn't do much to silence her, however, for she was soon on into another drawn out ramble, and it was all he could do to bury himself in the book he was currently reading, trying to drown her and her 'freakin' annoying voice out.

The duo was waiting in Merlin's house (their base-turned-hangout) for quite a few reasons. One being Kairi, of course. Another being Aerith, who was due with the Princess's battle attire. And the others were the escorts Yuffie had picked out to accompany the Princess: The morbidly silent Auron, a warrior from the Underworld who had been granted life again by Zeus in order for him to come along on this journey, and the fairy trio of Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, supposed treasure hunters who had been taking one too many personal possessions from Leon (thus, the reason for sending them along was basically to get them out of his hair.)

After a few moments the door opened, and in walked Aerith, carrying the outfit she had helped Merriweather, Fauna, and Flora to create.

"It's perfect!" She exclaimed, breathless from rushing from one world to the next. "I do hope she likes it… Plus, it's very useful too…"

Yuffie tried to steal a glance at the magical clothing, but Aerith wouldn't let her come near, determined to keep her hard work safe until the Princess arrived. While Yuffie pouted, Aerith turned to Leon.

"You do have her weapons, right?"

The swordsman nodded lazily, waving one of his hands in the air, his eyes never leaving the pages of his book.

"Yeah, yeah. All ready to go."

Aerith was about to speak again, her lips positioned in a frown, when the door burst open again. This time it was Auron who entered, his presence demanding respect from all who were in the room. Even Yuffie was silent. He ducked slightly below the doorframe as he walked in, trying to avoid nicking the frame with his huge sword. He said nothing upon entering the room, and quietly walked over to a corner, where he planted the tip of his blade in the plywood, resting his weight upon its' handle. He closed his eyes, appearing to doze off.

The others were still silent, no one daring to ask him a question (even though Yuffie looked like she would pee if she didn't get the chance to), and through the open door flitted the fairy trio of YuRiPa.

The females were chattering as they entered, and Yuffie, finding her voice, immediately pounced on them and began to assault them with questions such as: Where the heck were you… can't believe… so late… what if she had gotten here before you… dammit…

And then, in the middle of all the noise, Kairi stood at the doorway, arriving last. As if she hadn't been confused enough already, Mickey had sent her here alone. To face these people she hadn't ever even really met before. She had only heard about them through Sora. But that didn't mean she actually knew them.

The sight before her wasn't very comforting, either.

Three little fairies arguing with some girl that looked like a guy, another guy sitting in a chair reading a book, a tough looking guy in the corner with a big sword, and a girl in a pink dress clutching some clothes as if they were her baby.

Oh yeah. She had definitely lost it when she agreed to save the world.

…………………….

And there ya go. Chapter Three.

Thus ends my writing fury for one day. Guh, three chapters in one day. That's a lot of writing.

Maybe another chapter tomorrow, if I feel like writing more.

Or if I'm even home.

Reviews? Meh?


	4. Departure

Ergh, I'm full. Four pieces of pizza and a bacon cheeseburger.

XP Too much food.

Hold on, dear metabolism… hold on!

Muah.

-_Lovely Catastrophe  
_-  
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**Chapter Three: Departure**  
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Auron was the first and only one to notice that Kairi was standing in the doorway. He cleared his throat, causing everyone to stop what he or she was doing and stare blankly over at him.

"The Princess has arrived." He stated simply, soon afterwards becoming quiet as before. Auron never said more than he needed to, and that was that.

Once they had been alerted to Kairi's presence, he was ignored anyways.

"You're here!"

Yuffie tackled the new arrival in a hug that threatened to squeeze the life out of the younger girl. This was awkward for Kairi: one, she didn't know who this chick was in the slightest, and two, she didn't find having her air taken away a very pleasant feeling…

But this feeling soon subsided as the female ninja set her down again, allowing her to draw oxygen back into her lungs and breathe. Air was good. Very good. And once said air was back in her system, she found her voice and spoke up.

"Um, yes. I'm here, I'm here. Um… and you are?"

Yuffie grinned, giving her the thumbs-up sign.

"I'm Yuffie! And that guy in the chair is Leon, and over there is Aerith…" She continued in this pattern until she had named everyone in the room, each acknowledging Kairi's presence in some way or form.

The Princess felt a little lost. Without King Mickey to tell her what was going to happen next, she was a bit unsure what she was supposed to say or do. Fortunately for her, Auron seemed to sense this, and he pushed himself upright off the wall, plucking his sword from the plywood floors. He had dealt with the same naivety with… well… a long time ago.

"Leon. If you would be so kind as to equip young Kairi here with her weapons, and if you, Aerith, would be a lovely girl and give her her clothing, then we could be on our way."

Leon looked up from his book, a slightly grumpy expression appearing on his face after being interrupted. But when Auron shot him a stern look, he quickly complied, pulling out a delicately wrapped package from beneath the chair. He then stood up and walked over to Kairi, handing the box to her.

It was long, and magically sealed, it seemed, as it emitted a slight, golden glow. Kairi examined the package with uncertainty. It was big; about four feet in length, but maybe only half a foot wide, and about half a foot tall as well. The box was relatively light, but heavy enough to indicate that there was indeed something inside.

She felt something hard nudge her shoulder lightly. It was the flat side of Auron's long sword, urging her to get things over with quickly. How he had appeared behind her without her knowing she wasn't exactly sure. That was just Auron.

"Go on, open it." His tone wasn't exactly harsh, but it WAS gruff enough to make her get on with it.

Kairi gingerly untied the string holding the package together, and cleared away the wrapping. She then lifted the lid of the box and discarded it, peering inside.

It was a long, silver bow, slender and perfect in shape (in fact, Kairi feared that if she touched it, she might just break it) and gilded with intricate designs so that any source of light would catch the bow and make it shine. She pulled it out of the box, finding it to be extremely lightweight and flexible; though, when she tugged on the string it rebounded with such strength that she was forced to remember that it was a weapon, not a toy.

She slung it over her shoulder, finding it to be a perfect fit, as if it had been waiting to be there the moment it was made.

There was also a quiver in the box—of the same material and design as the bow—and it was filled to the brim with perfectly trimmed arrows.

This she also slung 'round her back, feeling the snug fit of the leather strap and finding it to be a strangely natural… almost familiar thing for her. Then, interrupting her thoughts, Auron cleared his throat.

"They're more than pretty decorations, you know… Sooner or later you're going to have to learn how to actually USE them…"

He glanced at Leon, who held up his hands and shook his head vigorously.

"Don't look at me, I'm just the delivery boy."

Auron sighed, gently pinching his nose to relieve some stress.

"Fine… we'll get to THAT part later…

…Aerith? If you will… could you please help the Princess with her clothing now? The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Oh! Y-yes, of course!" She was obviously intimidated by the swordsman, and flinched when he addressed her. Aerith led Kairi into another room in Merlin's house, all the while explaining the different features and blah, blah, blah about the clothing…

………………………

Meanwhile, on some other World, the Imagi twins had passed through the link that served as a bridge to the Dream World, and were surveying their new surroundings with absolute pleasure.

Silas had not accompanied them, however. He had stayed behind to carry out their plans in safety, leaving the Imagi to do the dirty work.

He had created for them ghost-like steeds: great, monstrous beasts that looked like oversized wolves. They had four, blood-red eyes on each side of their heads, and their shadowy fur bristled together so thick that if one were to touch it the wrong way, they'd get nasty cuts all over their hands.

They only obliged to carry their riders because they weren't strong enough to fight and refuse. And besides… they would not dare go against the orders of the Dreamweaver.

Eileen's mount reared, howling at the night sky of the World they were on, and then it brought its' paws back down upon the earth with a mighty crash. She smirked, patting one of the wolf-creature's ears gently.

"Easy now… you'll have blood before our mission is over. Just you wait."

Her smirk soon shifted into a determined frown, staring out at the land before her. The wind ruffled the white cloak Silas had given to her, and she drew the hood over her head. Beneath the cloak she wore all leather; clothing that had been emblazoned with the Dreamweaver's personal insignias. Her brother wore an outfit that was much the same, but he had discarded the cloak, not caring much for the way it looked.

Eileen turned to her brother, pulling tight on her mount's reins.

"Come, Aidan. It's time to do our jobs…"

"Yes, dear sister. As you wish—"

"There is one thing." She cut him off, seemingly annoyed with all of Aidan's pleasantries. "Silas informed us that the Worlds were disconnected, did he not? Yet I sense some change…"

Her wolf-creature growled, and she patted it before continuing.

"Helios tells me that they are whole again… as they were… before."

"Before?" Aidan echoed, though there was an amused sort of look on his face. "So… perhaps finding the link into these blasted worlds must have triggered such an event to happen. It's perfect, you know?"

"Yes… of course. When the Worlds' inhabitants begin to feud as they used to… It will make it ever so easy for us to conquer them all in one place. We must use this to our advantage."

Aidan nodded, thinking quietly to himself for a moment. _Yes… to OUR advantage… But as soon as you turn your back, dear sister… Silas will regret ever letting me loose from that nightmare…_

But he didn't have time to revel in his plans for betrayal for long.

"Damn it, Silas, move it. Stop sitting there like a moron and follow me. We don't have any time to waste." Eileen called, having already placed quite a bit of distance between them.

He smirked, kicking his mount in the sides to make it advance towards her.

_I love you too, dear sister._

………………………

"Um…"

"Well? What do you guys think?"

"Most definitely the coolest! Heck, I'd kill for an outfit like that."

"Hmph."

"Oh, c'mon Squall, don't you have anything to say other than 'hmph'?"

"It's _Leon_."

"Whatever. But really, Kairi, it makes ya look all grown up!"

Kairi had never really liked being the center of attention. So now, with the entire group staring at her as if she was on display, she felt more self-conscious than ever.

The fairies that lived in Yen Sid's castle had sewn together the magical garments that the Princess was now wearing. A white blue tank top covered her upper body; it was lined with royal blue trim, and the back had a cute, but intricate heart sewn into the material. It had a hood attached to it, in case of unfavorable weather.

There were leather armbands that ran from her wrists to a little before her elbows, and they were the same royal blue color as the trim of her shirt. They had hidden pockets on the inside of them—for what, Kairi didn't know, but she had an idea that they might be for a small weapon…

Her tank top stopped an inch or two above her belly button, exposing her flat, tanned stomach. Hung around her waist was a large, dark blue belt with several buckles, magical bangles and key chains clipped on to it. The jeans were possibly the only normal part of the entire outfit. They were slightly faded and worn, and the cuffs were frayed a bit, but they were definitely comfortable.

She had also received a pair of black leather boots that zipped up just below her knees. They had silver crown insignias on them, and they were very flexible and light, as though she wasn't wearing shoes at all.

All in all, she felt quite… unsure about the outfit.

Her fairy escorts were watching her now: Rikku and Paine snickering to themselves, while Yuna had a more perplexed, thoughtful expression on her face.

Auron slung his sword over his shoulder.

"Now… are we all ready to go? We really should be heading out, Princess…"

Kairi blinked at him with uncertainty, but in reality she knew he was right. She had no more time to be embarrassed or hesitant about anything. It was time to do a little bit of growing up.

"Yes. I suppose you're right." She replied, and then turned to face Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith. "Thank you for everything. I'm just kinda sad that I didn't get a chance to stay and talk much…"

Yuffie grinned and winked at her.

"You can always come back to visit, Kairi! Especially once you take down those Ima-whozits. Kick some butt, okay?"

Aerith bowed slightly to the Princess, smiling warmly.

"Yuffie's right. We'd love to have you as our guest anytime. Stay safe, Princess."

Kairi then turned to Leon, who regarded her with a lazy sort of look, before he set his book down in the chair and rose to his feet.

"Ah… I'm really not so good at goodbyes… so… I won't say it. Be careful, kid."

She nodded, grinning at them all. Then, another nudge from Auron's big sword told her that she could waste no more time.

The fairy trio skittered out the door first, followed by Auron. Kairi walked after them, turning to wave for the last time, and then she ran to catch up with the rest of her group.

Her journey had begun.

………………………

Rawr. For some reason, that chapter was really hard to write. I kept getting distracted… and hungry…

Mostly hungry.

Stupid stomach of mine.

Anyways, next chapter's coming up soon. I'll probably get it in tonight if I just keep on writing.

Plus, I think I've figured out who I'll be pairing our young heroine up with, I think… You'll just have to wait and see. And it might not be very obvious at first.

Reviews :3


	5. The Water Spirit's Gifts

I have a Goofy sticker on my computer desk.  
I'm refusing the urge to place said sticker on my forehead.

Willlllllllllll powerrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

(Please ignore the random comments at the beginning of each chapter. They really have nothing at all to do with the story.)

-_Lovely Catastrophe  
_-  
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**Chapter Four: The Water Spirit's Gifts  
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.**

"Auronnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…."

"What, Rikku."

"Can we pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase stop and take a break? I'm tired of flying."

"Then walk."

"I'm too pooped to do that, either… Can I ride on your back?"

Auron grunted. They had been walking along the outskirts of Radiant Garden, wandering the paths of the forest that surrounded it. Every five minutes, Rikku would complain of a new ache or pain that plagued her, and would request to stop for a rest.

Yuna had long since ceased flying and walking altogether, her fairy self unable to keep up with the long strides of Auron, or the quick pace of Kairi. So she rested in the Princess's hood, peering over her shoulders every so often to see where they were going.

Paine, on the other hand, toughed it out, and flittered about, barely trailing behind Auron, who was in the lead.

"Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase!" Rikku cried shrilly, dropping to the ground. "I can't moooooove anymore…"

"Fine. Just shut up." Auron plunged his sword into the ground, sitting cross-legged beside it. They had reached a secluded meadow, protected from the other parts of the forest. "We'll rest here for the night."

Kairi sighed with relief, falling to her knees. _Thank goodness. Auron's a slavedriver, I swear… Any further and I might have been complaining just like Rikku…_ (Woo, 100 hits right here at this very moment as I'm typing this, heck yes! haha Sorry to interrupt the story. Heh)

Yuna rolled out of her hood with a yelp, tumbling onto the ground with a small thud. The Princess gasped slightly, having obviously forgotten that she had even been back there.

"Aww, Yuna, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to do that. Are you alright?"

The little fairy was brushing herself off, and she peered backwards up at Kairi with her duo-toned eyes.

"Y-yes. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

She smiled, and Kairi smiled back, before sprawling out on the ground. Auron frowned, cocking an eyebrow. The fairy trio blinked at her curiously, all three hovering just above her body.

"Are you going to sleep there?" Rikku asked, swirly Al Bhed eyes riddled with confusion. "The ground's not real comfy, you know…"

The Princess laughed, closing her eyes.

"I know. But anything's better than walking, and I'm so tired I could sleep just about anywhere."

"Aww... She was tired too!" The blonde fairy whirled to face Auron, a frustrated look upon her face. "See! I wasn't the only one! I think I liked you better as an old fogey, Auron."

_Huh?_ Kairi sat up, and she, Yuna, and Paine had perplexed looks on their faces.

"What do you mean, Rikku?"

"Nothing. She means nothing." Auron broke in, shooting Rikku a sharp look as she began to protest. _How does she remember?_ He thought to himself, _She isn't supposed to remember… not while the Magic Kingdom is still separated… and that was a permanent change… Was it not?_

The female members of the group exchanged confused looks, but none of them decided to press the matter. When Auron was in one of his moods, it was best to leave him alone.

_Anyways…_ Kairi got to her feet, brushing the dirt off her pants. "Hey! Who wants to go explore this forest with me?"

"You're going to be dead tired in the morning if you don't go to sleep right now, Princess…" Auron warned. "And then, I'll have no pity on you when you begin to whine."

"Aww, don't listen to that poopypants, exploring sounds fun!" Rikku chirped, tossing her hands up into the air. The other two fairies nodded, looking as though they were too hyper to go to sleep now anyways.

"Alright then! Let's go." Kairi slung her bow and quiver around her shoulder, just in case.

"Don't wander off too far or stay out too late."

The swordsman then turned over to his side, seeming to tune out the rest of the world as he drifted off into a state of faux sleep: he would be keeping an eye on the girls all night long.

Rikku smirked, flying over to his prone form and hovering above his ear. "Yooooooooooooooou suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck." She hissed, giggling hysterically after she had done so.

Paine rolled her eyes.

"Can we go now? I thought we were gonna do some exploring."

…Pause.

"Oh YEAH!"

_ADD… Wow. At least they're funny… I could have been stuck with Donald and Goofy like Sora… Talk about annoying._ Kairi led the way through the forest, not exactly knowing where she was going, but not exactly caring, either. She felt as though she was becoming a little more independent every time she took a step during this journey, and she loved every minute of it.

And then she felt it.

She wasn't quite sure what _it_ was, but she sensed its' presence.

She felt it beckon to her, felt it drawing her in.

So she followed it.

The fairy trio behind her was oblivious to the change in her actions, happy to tag along and poke their heads into this and that along the way.

But then she figured out that _it_ wasn't such a good thing.

Kairi drew an arrow; stringing it to the bow and pulling said string as tightly as she could, aiming the point into the trees ahead of them.

"Stay back!" She warned, the fairies' attention being drawn back to her. They darted into the trees, all three of them alert in case their help was needed.

The muzzle of a large beast poked it's nose out from the trees, its' massive head coming into view before it stopped moving, just inches in front of the point of Kairi's arrow. It appeared to be a dragon, but Kairi had always thought those weren't real… things you found in… _Dreams…_

It was then that the Princess remembered that she didn't exactly know how to fight with her weapon. The dragon growled.

_Crap._

The bowstring went limp as she backed up a step, wanting to put a bit of distance between her and the dragon's foot-long fangs. It closed that distance without any effort, great nose sniffing her all over.

Kairi stood as still as possible, letting the beast do as it pleased. After a few seconds it slunk back into the forest, and she realized that it had meant her no harm.

"What was that all about?"

The Princess jumped, startled by Yuna's voice. She had forgotten all about the fairy trio for a second there…

"I think… I think it was guarding something. And I think it was trying to make sure I wasn't going to try and take or harm whatever it's trying to protect." She replied, returning her bow to her shoulder.

Paine crossed her arms, smirking.

"Well… you're obviously not dead, so I think we passed the test." The leather-clad fairy hovered towards the direction the dragon had just disappeared in.

"…Shall we?"

They continued on, and Kairi noticed that it was getting brighter and brighter with every step they took. _Weird… It's not as dark in this part of the forest…_

Little spores of light floated around from above, like fireflies, ever glowing, ever bright. It was peaceful, and the girls were filled with a growing sense of awe and wonder. The trees began to become more and more sparse, until they reached yet another clearing like the one they had set up camp in. Only in the middle of this clearing was a pool of water. The liquid was crystal clear, and it seemed to emit a dim, blue aura.

They sat down at the edge of the water, peering down into it.

"Whatcha think, Kairi?" Rikku inquired, hovering inches above the surface. "Looks kinda weird to me…"

_Hm… I wonder…_ The Princess pulled one of her arrows from her quiver, and she decided to dip the tip of it into the water. The pool glowed brightly for a split second, and then it returned to its' calm state once more.

Kairi blinked, pulling the arrow out of the water. The tip was glowing now, not too bright, but it wasn't short of radioactive-looking, either. She decided to test the thing out. Stringing her bow with the arrow, she shot it rather pathetically (hey, give the poor girl a break. It's her first time to shoot the freakin' thing.) at a tree, and almost fell back on her rear when it exploded on impact.

There was no fire, no smoke, just an explosion that left the tree charred and without a bit of its' bark…

"That's definitely magic if I've ever seen it…" Yuna said, hovering over towards Kairi and sitting gracefully on her shoulder. "Hm… maybe…"

Rikku was wiggling excitedly.

"That was cool! I wonder what it does to people!"

…_What?_

But before any of them could let out a "RIKKU, NO!" the blonde fairy dove into the pool of water.

The pool began to flash, several times in rapid succession, before it spit Rikku back out. She landed on the ground in a heap, and was surprisingly dry, considering she had just jumped into a pool.

There was also one other, MAJOR difference.

Rikku wasn't really a fairy anymore. She had been returned to her human state, the Rikku she had been before she died and was reborn. Only, the change set her back a few years, so she was actually the Rikku she was when she was a thirteen year old girl. But this fact didn't seem to bother the human-turned-fairy-turned-human-again. She leapt to her feet, flailing about, testing out her new body.

"I'm human again! Yahoooooooooooooo!" The young Al Bhed started doing cartwheels around the place, while her companions looked on, awestruck. Then, once that was done, she strutted around for a bit, the joyous exclamations never ceasing to flow from her lips.

Yuna and Paine glanced at the water hopefully.

And Kairi was still… confused.

"So… wait… you guys aren't actually really fairies? Or, um, I mean, you weren't born that way?"

Paine shook her head.

"No, we were born humans… and we died humans. But…"

"But because of our pure hearts we were allowed to be reborn as fairies." Yuna finished, grinning sheepishly. "Paine… if the water worked for Rikku… will it work for us?"

The warrior fairy shrugged.

"Beats me. We might as well try it, right? Doesn't seem like evil water anyway, so what's the harm?"

And with that, Paine dove into the pool. Seconds later, after the light flashes, she too was spit back out of the water as a teenaged human girl, becoming the Paine she was when she was but fourteen years old.

Her silvery-blond hair was longer now and it covered the emotions in her crimson eyes. But the smirk on her face told it all: Paine was back in action.

Kairi was watching this all happen with fascination in her eyes, when she noticed that Yuna hesitated as she neared the edge of the water.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just afraid that… something bad will happen. Magic doesn't have to follow a set pattern and do the same thing every time. It has its' own rules."

"Yeah but… It's kinda like everything else in a way…" Kairi smiled. "How will you know unless you give it a try? And if you don't try… you may regret it, because there will always be that chance you could have been alright."

The little fairy looked up at her, giving the Princess a tiny smile in return.

"I guess you're right."

Yuna hovered out onto the water, then gently lowered herself into it. Kairi waited, hoping everything would turn out alright. The waters flashed, and then Yuna was shot up into the air, spinning around delicately before she landed gently back on the ground.

She too had been returned to her human state. The Yuna she had been when she was but fifteen years old. The young summoner checked herself and her old robes, making sure she was still all there. But she said nothing, simply amazed.

"Princess of Heart… Lady Summoner… Thief of the Desert… Warrior of the Night… Chosen few picked to save the world from its' nightmares… I am a water spirit. Guardian of this forest."

The girls turned to look at the pool, startled by the voice from nowhere. An abstract face was visible within the waters, and it continued to speak to them.

"To you fairy creatures I have given you your human selves back again. I also have for you some items that may be familiar…"

The pool churned, and from its' depths, objects were shot forth. Two Spiran-made guns landed at Yuna's feet, two Al Bhed knives nearly beaned Rikku in the head, and a large sword flew towards Paine, who caught it effortlessly.

"And as for you, Princess… I have bestowed you with the magic of Light. It will never run out, and you will always carry it with you. It will protect you in the darkest of times, and will shine brightly when all other light goes out. Manage it well."

The water spiraled out of the pool and began to encircle Kairi's entire body. She felt a tug at her heart, and a warmth immediately spread over her, filling her with confidence she hadn't had before.

The water then subsided, and all was calm yet again.

"Guys…" Kairi started, breathing heavily, awestruck, "We should probably be getting back to Auron now… That's enough exploring for one night, eh?"

………………………….

Whoo, longest chapter yet. Heck yes.

I really like this chapter too, for some reason. Idk why.

Anyways, reviews awesome.

Speaking of them, I'd like to give a shoutout to the two people who did review and are officially awesome: Yume-Yume and Douceur. You guys rock. And I agree, Yume-Yume, Kairi is VERY awesome.


	6. The Magic Kingdom

Gah… it's too early.

And there are people in my house…

Make them go'way…

-_Lovely Catastrophe  
_-  
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**Chapter Five: The Magic Kingdom**  
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_This is not…  
This…  
This is not good._

Auron was standing near the edge of the forest, not too far from the temporary campsite the group had set up. The girls had not returned, and his mind was too filled with thoughts for him to stay still. Which made him almost agree with Rikku about the old fogey bit.

It was easier to think as an old fogey.

And something like this... well… it required quite a bit of thinking.

Before him were miles and miles of plains, stretching out as far as he could possibly see. But they were translucent, as though they weren't really all there yet. He had already tested to see if one could stand on them by throwing a rock out into the field.

Solid. And yet opaque?

He didn't remember there being plains in Radiant Garden. But he also knew that they had been that way before… when the Worlds were connected. When he was dead—rather, when he had been living in the Underworld—he had been told stories: about a Magic Kingdom, in which all the Worlds coexisted peacefully. There had been noGummi Ships, for there simply was no need to use them. One could simply travel from one land to another on foot. But back then there was just one World.

The different races had begun to fight with each other, and the King of that time made a hard decision: he had to separate the lands to ensure peace… but that would also mean that there would be no unity.

And when the Heartless came… no unity meant fighting a losing battle. Countless Worlds were destroyed after the separation, most of them too small to defend themselves. Auron remembered THAT part well. Spira had gone down almost immediately, because everyone was too busy fighting each other to destroy the Heartless.

Only he and a small group of people had even tried to save the World.

_Tidus… Wakka… Yuna… Rikku… Paine._

But they had failed. Miserably. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine had died trying to keep Luca from falling due to its' immense population. But there were simply too many Heartless for the three of them to fend off.

However, because of their pure hearts, the Fayth gave them new life as fairies, and sent them away to another World where they would be safe. Their memories were also wiped out, so they would know nothing more than each other, and the fact that they had once been human.

Tidus and Wakka were also slain, and the Fayth sent their souls to Destiny Islands, where they would be reborn as children and live their new lives in peace. They were also placed there in order to be childhood friends of the Keyblade's chosen when he was born.

But I… I was too hard of heart. I died… and my soul wasn't reborn… my soul didn't get sent off to the Farplane. I got sent to the Underworld. And perhaps… perhaps that was the best place for me to go.

Auron had been the only survivor of Spira allowed to retain all of his memories. Not that he would share these memories with anyone. Some things were better left unsaid.

There was still the question of why he was reborn as the man he was when he was but twenty years old. He had dared to ask Zeus that before he left for Radiant Garden, and the god had simply stated that that was how things worked.

Not that Auron was complaining. It certainly was easier to fight as a youngster. He would just have to get used to it.

Contemplating done, he turned his attention back to the plains, an uneasy feeling washing over him. _This is not good. This isn't supposed to happen._

………………………

The four girls had been wandering around the forest for some time… Even though Rikku claimed to have an excellent sense of direction, she only managed to get the others more and more…

_Lost. Crap. We're lost. Auron's going to be mad._ Kairi was slowly following behind the chipper Al Bhed and her other companions. _Worst part is, we haven't gotten any sleep yet… _The Princess wasn't much up for talking either. The other three girls were as close as sisters, and they would talk about everything among themselves. To Kairi, it felt as if she was intruding to make any comments at all.

It was a terribly lonely way to go about things. And it wasn't as if they disliked her. (Well, actually, she figured that Paine wasn't fond of her, but that just seemed like who Paine was.)

I agreed to go on this stupid journey. I got picked up by two chipmunks with road rage, got dropped off at some weird garden place where unusual is the norm… Got partnered with a 'he-just-thinks-he's-badass' swordsman and three treasure-hungry fairies—er, girls. Then, we got lost in this forest, and I almost got my head eaten off by a dragon, who turned out to be a water spirit, who turned the fairies back into humans again, only now they're apparently all younger than me… and… now we're lost… and Auron is going to kill us…

Oh dear… I need a nap.

"We're almost there you guys! Just a few more minutes!" Rikku said cheerfully, bounding ahead of the group.

"You said that half an hour ago…" Paine replied crossly, darting after the hyper blonde, and leaving Kairi and Yuna behind.

The Princess sighed, lowering her head as she trudged on beside Yuna. "I wish I had that much energy…" The other girls were obviously accustomed to long periods of walking, and she, obviously was not.

The young Summoner laughed, and Kairi found the sound strangely pleasant.

"Rikku acts as though she's on a constant sugar high, and she probably is. And Paine can keep up with anybody. I'm always getting left behind, too, so don't feel bad."

"Yeah…"

Yuna smiled, and Kairi smiled back, trying not to get lost in either the dazzling smile or the warm duo-toned eyes. She broke eye contact with the other girl after a few seconds, realizing that she had been staring a bit too long. But she had realized something.

_Yuna is really… pretty…_ The Princess shook the thought from her mind. _What? Wait… Slow down, Kairi. Don't get caught up in the moments, remember? You'll get hurt. Besides, she's a girl. And you are too._

But that hadn't stopped anyone else before.

Stop it. Get it together. Concentrate on the mission. And finding your way out of this blasted forest.

The young Summoner must have sensed the other girl's sudden confusion and dismay, and the smile disappeared from her face as she focused her eyes on the path before them.

_Did I do something wrong…?_

But neither of them had long to ponder the confusion, because a shattering scream pierced the silence and their ears.

"Rikku!" They shouted together, racing towards the direction of the noise.

……………………

Auron was jolted from his musings by the scream as well.

What now… 

He took one last look at the plains, before darting off into the woods.

……………………

Then to the owner of the scream herself. Rikku and Paine were trapped between some gnarled trees and a ring of Imagi grunts. They were about a foot high, and were similar in race to that of Silas' minions: Pike, Frenzy, and Raimi. But they all had dull looks in their eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and one mission: Destroy anything that moved within the Magic Kingdom. And do it fast.

One of the creatures snarled and flung itself at Rikku, but it found its' body soon severed in half with one stroke of Paine's sword. The fallen Imagi faded away, and the others lurched forward, taking its place.

"Too many. We should find a way out of here, Rikku." The warrior grunted, making sure to keep the younger girl safely behind her.

"There isn't any way out! We're trapped!"

The blonde let out another shriek as two of the Imagi leapt towards them. Shots rang out, and the creatures were felled quickly as Yuna and Kairi appeared on the scene. Yuna's guns were emitting smoke profusely, and the Princess strung her bow.

The Imagi regarded the newcomers lazily, and then turned their backs to Rikku and Paine, advancing on the other girls. Kairi let one of her magic arrows fly, and it hit an Imagi in the chest, exploding on impact. But even with her arrows and Yuna's constant gunfire, the creatures didn't slow down at all.

The Princess strung another arrow. _This is crazy, there have got to be at least two-dozen left and they'll get to us before we beat them all… Even with Paine and Rikku attacking with us… we aren't strong enough yet._

But Kairi wouldn't back down.

Not a chance.

The girls kept fighting, and Paine even managed to calm Rikku down enough and got her to draw her weapons. Soon enough there were only about ten of the creatures left, and Kairi was out of arrows. The other girls were beginning to tire, and the Imagi seemed to sense that, attacking faster and harder.

One of them flew at Kairi, serrated teeth bared and sharp. She hit it hard in the chest with her bow to try and defend herself, but not after the Imagi had clamped down on her wrist. The Princess managed to keep from crying out and kicked the thing off, flinging it at a tree. It lay there, motionless.

Yuna slid into place beside her, firing another salvo at the creatures. It looked as though she had taken a little bit of a beating as well; Kairi could see a slight trickle of crimson running down her cheek.

Rikku and Paine cornered the last remaining Imagi, and it hissed at them menacingly. The warrior showed it no mercy, and cut it down, watching it disappear as it was felled. Rikku slid to her knees, sighing with relief.

"Thank goodness… let's not do that again…"

They all laughed, mentally agreeing. The group had a long way to go before they would be strong enough to take on so many enemies at once again.

The girls then began checking for injuries: Rikku had managed to remain unscathed, Paine had a few bruises and insisted that she was perfectly fine, Yuna had been hit in the side of the head with a rock and got nicked a bit, and Kairi had been bitten on the arm, of course.

Said arm was bleeding profusely now, and Kairi was trying to figure out what she could wrap around it to stop the crimson flow. Yuna noticed this and knelt down at the Princess's side.

"Here… Let me see it." Her voice was gentle enough that Kairi hadn't the heart to refuse, and she gingerly held her arm out so that Yuna could see.

The young Summoner carefully held her hand over the wound and closed her eyes, recalling the ancient arts of healing she had been taught as a child… or at least, she figured it was when she was a child. She only knew that she could Cure, whether she was born with the ability or not.

The Princess's wound began to close itself up, and Kairi watched on in amazement. When the process was over, she flexed her hand, extending and curling her fingers. There was no pain.

"How did you…?"

Rikku grinned. "Yuna's a healer. And a Summoner too. Or… well… she used to be… we think so anyway… um… we're not sure. She's just always had this power, y'know?"

Kairi blinked and looked up at Yuna, who was blushing profusely.

"It's really nothing…"

The Princess grinned, getting to her feet.

"No, I think it's something. Thanks, Yuna."

The other offered her a small, shy smile.

"You're welcome…"

Auron appeared at that moment, dissipating the awkwardness that was building up. He was the vision of calmness, but they all knew he had been worried. He wouldn't have been running if he weren't. The swordsman cocked an eyebrow.

"Imagi?"

They nodded. He slung his sword over his shoulder.

"We should get going, then. I have something to show you four…"

……………………

"There it is…"

"Wow…"

"It's so pretty!"

Auron had led them to the translucent plains he had discovered earlier. The girls were in awe, and when he told them that they would be traveling across it, Rikku moaned.

"Where does it lead to, Auron?" Kairi asked, looking up at him.

"Another World." He replied, "If I'm correct, Wonderland. If I'm not, Atlantica. Either way, we're going there. I saw a herd of those creatures cross this way before I heard Rikku's scream."

"And if we follow them… we might be able to find out who's behind all this…" The Princess stated quietly. "…Right?"

The swordsman grunted and nodded.

"Yes."

……………………

Ah, I figured I could keep on going with this chapter, but it was getting kind of long. So the next one should be coming up soon.

The story's moving kinda slow right now, but it'll pick up in the next chapter or two, I promise.

Plus, if you haven't been picking up on the clues, the pairing is turning out to be Kairi x Yuna. I'm not entirely sure how I managed it that way, but I'm prolly on crack.

Yup. Prolly crack. But I like it, it's cute. And if you don't like it… well… oh well. Haha. Go read another fanfic. Other possible pairings in the future? Maybe some Rikku x Paine. But not much if any, cuz it's not centered around them.

It's centered around Kairi. Cuz she rocks, you know.

And never forget about Sora or Riku… never forgettttttttttt…

Reviews?


	7. The Caterpillar

When one's wisdom teeth come in, does it hurt?

My mouuuuuuuuth. ;;

-_Lovely Catastrophe_  
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**Chapter Six: The Caterpillar  
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"What a… peculiar place."

"Yes… I agree."

"Card people running about like idiots. With a Queen unfit for rule."

"Or, a Queen too fat to rule. Look at her… she's a whale. Ghastly…"

"Quiet. Helios has informed me that one of the Princesses dwells within this land. We must carry out our plans with caution."

"You're talking to that mutt again?"

"He makes for more pleasant conversation than YOU do, brother dear. Now let's go."

……………………

"Everything's plushy-squishy-feeling here. It's kinda creepy." Rikku stated as they reached the borders of Wonderland. Things here looked a bit off, and out of place. But Kairi figured they were probably meant to be that way… There was a forest in front of them, and above the treetops she could see a… castle made of cards? (eh… uhm… I don't remember much about Wonderland. Crap. I need to watch that oh-so-lovely movie again.)

They entered the forest, everyone gazing about at the gargantuan mushrooms and trees that surrounded them. Except for Auron, of course. Nothing really amazed him. Or maybe it did, he just didn't care.

The group pressed on, Paine having to stop every so often in order to pull Rikku off a mushroom (she wanted to bounce on them), and after a little while they began to hear a bit of enchanting music drifting their way.

Kairi paused, looking in the direction of the sound. The other females stopped as well, but Auron grunted, trying to get them to start moving again.

"Come on. We've no time to waste here."

Rikku blew a raspberry at him.

"Hush, you. You probably don't even know where you're going."

Auron looked as though he was about to say something mean, before Kairi interrupted the exchange of words with some of her own.

"Let's just check it out, Auron. Maybe it's the Imagi."

With that, the Princess followed the musical sounds, the rest of the group trailing behind her. The music was coming from a strange instrument being played by a caterpillar. An ENORMOUS caterpillar.

_It's gotta be like… ten feet long… dang._ Kairi mused to herself as she watched him play. And he kept on playing… and playing… _Doesn't even realize we're here…_ She cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Pause… Music.

"Sir?"

Pause… Nothing. Music again.

"Sir!"

Pause.

"What is it, young miss? Are you lost?"

Finally.

"Well… sort of… You see-"

The caterpillar interrupted her. "What do you mean 'sort of'? Either you're lost or you aren't. There isn't an in-between. You can't be lost and found at the same time."

"Oh… you have a point."

"So which is it?"

"Um… I'm lost."

"Well… I can't help you."

"You mean, you don't know the way around?"

"Well that depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on what you want to get around."

Kairi was beginning to get a bit frustrated here…

"Well… I can't rightly know that seeing as I'm lost and I don't know where I'm going, now can I?"

"No. I don't guess you can."

Okay… NOW I'm losing my patience… 

"So… then… Maybe you could tell me where the people of this land live?"

"In the castle, of course."

"Okay, so can you tell me how to get to the castle?"

"Of course."

"Good."

There was a pause, and then the caterpillar began to play his instrument again. _What… the… crap?_

"I thought you were going to tell me how to get to the castle!" Kairi exclaimed, a bit peeved that it had taken so long to get any ounce of information out of the creature.

"No… you asked me if I COULD tell you. And I CAN. But that doesn't mean I will."

"OH FORGET THIS!" Kairi threw up her hands, frustrated to no end. "I'm done talking to you, we'll find another way to the castle."

"You should try using the mushrooms."

"The mushrooms." She echoed, still annoyed. "And what good would they do me?"

"One side makes you smaller, and the other side makes you taller. Figure out which is which." And with that, he resumed his playing once again.

Kairi shook her head, turning to the others.

"I think he's most definitely smoking something."

Auron smirked. "Everyone in this place will seem that way. They're all perfectly intelligent; they just have a different way of displaying it. Read between the lines whenever you can, for there are usually hidden motives."

"What was he saying about mushrooms?" Yuna inquired, walking over to one of the enormous plants. She pulled off two large chunks of it, one from the topside of the mushroom, and the other from the underside. "Shall we give it a try?"

"They could be poisonous." Paine mused quietly. "But we're not going to get anywhere wandering through this forest… So who wants to eat a piece first?"

"I will." Auron replied. Of course, he was fully aware that the mushrooms were indeed NOT toxic. He also knew which side was which. Auron knew a lot of things. He had been in the Underworld a LONG time.

After he had downed a piece of the mushroom, the swordsman shot up in size, until the girls could only see his humongous boots.

"Well? Hurry up." His usually quiet voice boomed down at them.

The girls began to take pieces of the mushroom from Yuna's hand, and Kairi felt her fingers accidentally brush against the young Summoner's palm. A pink tinge laced her cheeks, and she could have sworn she saw the same thing happen to Yuna, but thankfully neither Rikku nor Paine noticed.

She stuffed the mushroom into her mouth, trying to shake off the embarrassment. Soon after, she felt her body pulse and throb, and she began to grow, and grow, and grow, until she too shot up through the forest as Auron had done, the other girls following suite.

Kairi looked around herself, blinking. The forest they had been in now looked like a little garden patch, and before them were rows of hedges lined up like a maze. But the forest had seemed so big before…

Before Auron even got the chance to tell them to keep moving, Kairi began to walk towards the maze, passing through the entrance when she got to it. But once they were inside, the path split in three directions…

"Which direction should we go in now, Princess?" The swordsman inquired, looking down at her.

"Well…"

……………………

Muah. cliffhanger.

I so could have continued it here.

I so could have.

But I decided not to.

Cuz the next chapter will probably be long.

Dunno if I feel like writing the next one tonight, tho.

Don't hear anyone whining at my butt to make me do so. :3 'Might just go off and write some random fluff instead.


	8. Labyrinth

Warning: This chapter may contain some silly fluff.

…

…

…

YAY!

On with the show!

-Lovely Catastrophe  
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**Chapter Seven: Labyrinth**  
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"Maybe we should split up?" Kairi suggested finally, after a bit of thinking. "I know it would be safer to go in a group, but it will take us longer to reach the castle if we don't. And who knows what kind of damage the Imagi could do by then? If at least a few of us get there, then maybe we could hold them off until the others arrive?"

"Maybe…" Auron grunted. "I'm not too fond of the plan, but you do have a point…"

"Ooh ooh ooh!" Rikku squealed, jumping up and down. "I get to go with Paiiiiiiiiiiiiine!" She giggled, clinging to the warrior's arm. Paine rolled her eyes, but she made no attempt to shove the younger girl off.

"I will take the middle path." Auron stated, and then he started off through the hedges. Rikku and Paine darted off through the left-most pathway, disappearing from sight.

"So that leaves the last path to us, Yuna! Let's go." Kairi exclaimed, and she walked through the path, her companion close behind. _My heart is doing flipflops… I wish I knew why… What is it about her that is so breathtaking? I hope I can keep it together…_

The young Summoner was thinking along the same lines. _She walks with such grace… such authority… She's so… lovely… If she looks back at me again with that smile I just might faint… or become a tomato… Oh dear._

Kairi suddenly halted to a stop, Yuna running right into her and causing them to tumble into a heap. The Princess had wanted to avoid falling into a pit that lay in the ground of the labyrinth. Unfortunately she had forgotten to give Yuna some warning. Well… maybe it wasn't so unfortunate.

Kairi could feel her face turning bright crimson. _Oh crap, I can't believe… crap, this is embarrassing… dammit… she's going to think I'm an idiot now…_ She was uttering numerous apologies as she tried to detangle herself from Yuna, and the Princess twisted her body, trying to get out from under the Summoner.

Which placed her nose right against Yuna's, causing them to come face to face.

It would have been hard to tell who was the brighter shade of red just then, the Summoner's face blushing wildly just like Kairi's. They froze there for a moment, before Yuna regained her composure, managing to pull herself free and she stood up. _Oh dear… I can't think straight… What's wrong with me…? Surely she's disgusted with me now… _

Kairi stood up as well, and began to brush herself off. "U-um… er… I'm sorry about that. I should have warned you before stopping so quickly like that."

Yuna wasn't exactly sure how to reply, so she just nodded. _Why is she acting so awkward again…? She seems… anxious about something. _

The Princess bit her lip; sure that she had offended her companion. _I wonder what she's thinking…_

_I wonder what she's thinking._

_I screwed up… Stupid emotions… I shouldn't have blushed… I…_

_Perhaps she…_

_Is she smiling at me now? She is… Such a beautiful thing…_

_She smiled back… She smiled at me… Why am I so happy?_

"Kairi… Shall we keep going?" Yuna asked quietly.

"Yeah… yeah… we probably should." _The mission… mustn't forget the mission… Even if she's so… distracting…_

They began to walk again, side by side this time, each enjoying the other's company. Though, they were too naïve to see that they were becoming infatuated. They were just friends. Just friends.

"Hey Yuna?"

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking… You're really good with magic, aren't you?" Kairi inquired. "I mean… you did heal my hand completely back to the way it was. That takes talent."

Yuna tried not to blush. She really did. "I don't know about really good, but I do know my way around spells and such…"

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you could teach me how to harness this Light stuff the water spirit gave me." The Princess cupped her hands behind her head, resting it on them. This caused her tank to rise just a bit, revealing a bit more of her tanned stomach. Of course Yuna noticed. Muah. "I know it's here inside me and all… I just can't… I can't…"

"Seem to get it to work?" Yuna finished for her, trying to keep all thoughts on the conversation and not Kairi. Which was extremely hard. "I don't know how good of a teacher I'll be, but I can try…"

"Great!" Kairi stopped and grinned brightly at her. "How 'bout we start now?"

"Eh?" She felt the blush start to return.

"Well… I mean… we didn't do so hot against those last few Imagi. And I'm not going to lie to you; I'm not a very good fighter. But you were quite the sharpshooter back there. And if we did happen to choose the path that leads us straight to the castle, I wanna be ready." Kairi poked Yuna's nose, which triggered the pink tint to spread across the Summoner's face.

"So how about it?"

((EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! THERE WAS A REALLY BIG BUG THING FLYING BY MY HEAD AND I… I… I… squisheditwifapillowomgshwtf… :hyperventilating: Mreeeeeeee….))

"Y-yes… Sure. Why not?" Yuna managed a smile back, though she figured she had just about fainted when Kairi's finger came into contact with her nose.

Kairi then dropped her quiver on the ground, taking her bow in hand and a single arrow in the other. "So I pretty much know how to shoot it, I just don't know how to… make the light… thingy…" She giggled. "It just kind of happens, randomly."

"Magic is kind of a focus thing…" The Summoner replied, all business now. "You have to have your mind totally in to what you're doing. At least, you do at first. Once you've used it enough and gotten more skilled, you'll be able to devote less and less of your mind to it and still produce the same results."

"Cool… so if I…"

"Um… Kairi… you aren't…"

Fwoing! The bowstring gave a loud twang as Kairi loosed an arrow from the bow. Only… she hadn't really been holding the thing right and the arrow kind of snapped in half, the feathered end smacking the Princess in the face.

Ouch… 

Yuna was trying her hardest to suppress a smile, really she was, but the bewildered look on Kairi's face was just too… cute. And funny. Then she couldn't keep it in anymore. She tried to stop the first giggle, but it turned into more of a snort, and then it just went downhill from there.

_Oh crap… she's laughing at me. I've officially made a complete fool of myself…_ Still, it was her laugh, beautiful in every way. And Kairi had noticed that Yuna didn't laugh or smile all that much. More than Paine, but a lot less than Rikku. Plus, it was cute.

Kairi laughed along with her in a good-natured way, rubbing her nose a bit as it really had kind of smarted… "Ow… I think it left a mark…"

Yuna grinned, finally managing to beat down her giggling. "Move your hand, let me see it." Without really thinking about it, the Summoner walked over to the Princess, gently moving her hand out of the way of her face.

Kairi was quiet now, her mind not really connecting the pieces of what was going on. All she managed to realize was that Yuna's face was really close to hers as those duo-toned eyes tried to find any sign of bruising.

And then… it just sort of happened.

The Princess felt soft lips press gently against the bridge of her nose, and gentle hands resting on her shoulders (seeing as Yuna wasn't as tall as Kairi, she had to lean up to do so.)

So… warm… 

Kairi realized her brain was basically losing all of its' processing power, and fast. She felt the color rise to her cheeks, staying there, burning. But not in a bad way.

And then. Yuna kissed her again. On one of her burning cheeks.

Please… to all the powers that be… don't let her stop… 

Even though the Princess was very unsure of herself at this current point in time, she did know something. She liked Yuna. She liked her a lot. Seriously infatuated. And here the other girl was, practically torturing her with her gentle lips.

Oh, but it was lovely.

Gently, as if she was afraid the slightest breath would scare Yuna away and ruin this perfect moment, she slid her arms loosely about the younger girl's waist and caused her to open her eyes.

Duo-toned met pools of sapphire.

Yuna looked nervous for a split-second, aware of what she had just done.

"K-kairi… I-I…"

"You missed."

"Wha—" But any other words from Yuna that might have been spoken were cut off, as the Princess delicately placed her lips atop the other girl's.

Holy… Yevon… 

The Summoner felt Kairi's lips twitch into a smile as she pulled away. The older girl drew her closer, and Yuna nuzzled into Kairi's neck, content.

You wanted this too. I know you did. I don't really know what this feeling is. Attraction? Definitely. Want. …Yes. Love? …Maybe not… yet. I barely know you. But I do know that being here with you now is the closest to perfect I've ever gotten.

I'll follow you anywhere, Kairi. Anywhere. As long as you don't let me go.

……………………

Awwwwwwwwww.

Yay.

Fluff.

Fluff-fluff.

Love-fluff. Mmmmmmm.

Hope that didn't seem too… rushed. But technically they've been traveling together for quite sometime.

And no, they aren't… like… in love yet. There's just mutual attraction.

So yeah. Haha

I wanted to save the fighting stuff for the next chapter.  
Which prolly won't come till tomorrow.


	9. Nightmares in Wonderland

I'm beginning to think that food is the source of all my problems ever. Grah.  
Not eating anymore…

Until…

Lunch…

-_Lovely Catastrophe  
_-  
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**Chapter Eight: Nightmares in Wonderland  
**.  
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Auron was still making his way through the path that he had chosen. For the most part, he had been going the right way, having only to double back just a few times. No Imagi in sight, either.

The silence was very pleasant, though.

Good for thinking.

Not like the noise his female companions had brought along with them… Well… Actually… not like the noise _Rikku_ brought along with them. Paine, Yuna, and Kairi were quiet for the most part.

_Kairi._

He shook his head. What a headstrong one she was… Just like… Well… She was just like Yuna. In some ways, at least. Kairi had more of a fighter's spirit than Yuna did. Auron shook his head again, but this time he allowed a faint smile to appear on his lips.

_Memories._

The swordsman continued on his way, pressing forward at a more brisk pace as he realized he had chosen the right path. The hedge walls on both sides of him began to recede as he neared the end, and he stepped cautiously into the castle's courtyard.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Then he heard… humming?

"Where are you going?" A whimsical voice inquired of him, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Auron chose not to answer.

The voice spoke again.

"Not a very talkative one, are you…"

A broad grin appeared, hovering in midair before Auron. It was just a row of teeth, and it was slightly… creepy.

"I like to talk a lot. And grinnnnnnnn." A cat appeared around the grin. Auron noted that the thing was a rather ugly shade of purple. "What do you like to do?"

Auron started to walk around the cat. He had neither the time nor the patience to deal with such foolishness.

"I would be careful if I were you… There are some… not so nice people in the castle. And they call themselves cats…"

The Cheshire Cat disappeared, leaving his characteristic grin behind before it too faded away.

The swordsman never looked back, and he pulled his sword off his shoulder, allowing it to hang at his side at the ready. _Not so nice people? Exactly who I'm looking for._

He entered the card castle…

……………………

"Rikku… I think you've gotten us more lost than we were in the first place…"

"Nonsense, Dr. P! I know exactly where we're going!"

"Stop calling me that…"

"Just a little further, and—"

THUD.

There were two shrill screams, one from Rikku, and the other from Kairi. As the blonde turned the corner of the hedge maze, she ran directly into the Princess (not looking where she was going as usual). Once they realized whom they had bumped into, they began laughing.

"Oops, sorry Kairi."

"It's alright, that's not the first time that's happened to me…"

Yuna smiled knowingly, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Paine, on the other hand, began to scowl.

"Damn. That means we've reached a dead end. Auron must have taken the right path. Gah. It's going to take us too long to go all the way back to the beginning and THEN try to get through his path without getting lost…" She growled, obviously annoyed.

"I guess… but there's not really another choice unless you want to—"

Leaves and bits of the hedge began flying as Paine started to hack away at the maze's wall with her large sword. Kairi was about to utter a complaint, seeing as whoever had created the maze might not have been so happy about it getting chopped down… but she thought better of it. Paine's sword was kinda sharp. Plus, they had no time for courtesy like that right now.

And the sword thing was working, anyways.

Before long, they could see into the castle's courtyard. Paine smirked, setting down her blade in the ground as Auron often did.

"See? Nothin' to it."

Paine wouldn't have been a very good gardener.

"Let's go, you guys. Auron's probably already inside having all the fun!" Kairi exclaimed, darting through the opening. The other girls followed after her, weapons at the ready.

……………………

"Ah yes… the legendary Auron… caught in one of our traps… that's got to be a blow to your dignity."

Eileen and Aidan had taken over the castle. It was easy, really. All they had to do was tie up the fat Queen and her minions and knock them out. It wasn't as though any of them had put up any real kind of fight.

That was when Auron had walked in. He had struggled, oh yes. He even managed to wound Aidan by slicing his arm clean to the bone. But Eileen had caught him off guard and snared him in a dream web: a powerful trap of her own design. Real people couldn't get free of it. Unless Eileen willed it so. Or if they had strong spirits.

And Auron's was strong. Just not strong enough. And now he was pinned to the wall by a translucent web, his eyes ever glaring at the twins. But he said nothing. Didn't even try to break free of the trap.

"I almost feel… sorry for you." She smirked. "Almost."

"Heh…" Auron lowered his face so that the Imagi couldn't see his expressions. "You won't be laughing when the Princess gets here…"

"Ah yes. Princess Kairi. We've heard about her. Our swarm reported back to us not too long ago. They were defeated, yes, but the Princess was so weak that it must have been a fluke." Eileen laughed.

"And where were you during that time, swordsman? You're not a very good guardian, are you…?"

There was no response.

"Ah, but I've heard this is common for you. There was another you tried to protect before, wasn't there. Oh, but that's right. She died."

The twins laughed maliciously, and Auron glared at them, as if he were trying to burn holes with his eyes. And if looks could kill, he probably would have succeeded. But… perhaps… the words hurt. A lot.

The swordsman tried to shake off the despairing feeling, when Eileen began to address him again.

"I can feel your pain… That's good. It's starting to sink in. You lost the Summoner… time to lose the Princess as well… That hurts to think about, doesn't it, Auron… And you're helpless to do anything at all! What a shame…"

No. He would not listen to her…

_But she's right… I can't… escape. _

The Princess isn't helpless, she will win!

_No… she can't… She has no training… no experience… _

You only need heart! And that she has a lot of.

_I've failed…_

No Auron…

_I've failed again…_

Aidan smirked, joining in with Eileen to taunt the swordsman. "That's right… fight the battle that everyone dreads to fight. Try and take on your despair, Auron. You'll never win… just embrace it now. We promise that Kairi will die quickly and painlessly… for the most part."

"Hey now. Talking about me behind my back? Not cool…"

……………………

Kairi and the others appeared in the doorway, and she had a confident smile on her face. The Princess strung an arrow, and aimed it at Aidan's head.

"Let him go!"

Eileen frowned.

"Ooh… such a pretty creature, Aidan. I do feel this sudden urge to smash her face in…" The female Imagi waved her hand lazily, turning her back to Kairi. "Do finish up here, brother dear. The castle is taken, so our work in this land is done. Just eliminate the girl and meet up with me afterwards."

The Imagi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and her brother smirked viciously.

"As you wish—"

An arrow whizzed past Aidan's head, causing him to blink in sheer bemusement. Kairi had gotten tired of the small talk. She strung another arrow.

"I'm not going to ask you again."

Aidan frowned, pulling out his two long swords from the sheaths that were slung over his shoulders.

"Touchy, touchy. Isn't a Princess supposed to have patience? Well, no matter. Playtime's over with anyways."

A pink screen shielded the doorway, keeping Rikku, Paine, and Yuna out…

…And keeping Kairi in. But the Princess stood her ground, unwavering. She affixed her enemy with a courageous stare.

"Hm. Well isn't this amusing. You're stronger than I thought. I fully expected you to start crying. This could prove interesting."

He rushed Kairi, who shot an arrow in his face, causing him to roll to the side. But before she could string another, she had to jump out of the way, Aidan much too fast for her. He laughed evilly, and continued to rush her with his swords.

"You're quick, little minx, but not quick enough. All I have to do is wear you down and then it will be all over."

He's right. If I don't figure out a new plan, I'm done for. I don't even have time to get my bow ready, let alone the split second I need to get out of his way… Time to put some of what Yuna said to good use…

Kairi leapt out of the swords' reach, then concentrated to her fullest extent. She thought about nothing else except drawing the light from her body and into her hands.

Aidan was coming.

Kairi was still drawing power.

The swords were poised and ready.

She could feel it surging towards her hands.

The point was ready to impale her.

She opened her eyes.

"Firecracker!" Kairi shouted, her eyes glowing white. Her hair was flowing in all directions as she issued the command. Sparks of brilliant gold erupted onto Aidan, causing the Imagi to roar and howl with pain.

He dropped one of his swords and it went sprawling to the side. Aidan struggled to hold his balance after the attack, wobbling slightly on his left leg. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lips, glaring menacingly at the girl across from him.

"Why you…" He growled, taking his other sword in hand. "I'm going to kill you."

Kairi was frozen to the spot, too tired to move, and too paralyzed with fear to have done it even if she had the strength. The Imagi lunged at her, a loud roar erupting from his chest as he did so.

……………………

Auron was looking on helplessly.

_I'm so sorry… Princess… I've failed you…_

…………………….

Yuna pounded her fists on the pink wall that separated her from the battle.

"Kairi!" She screamed, all the while knowing there was nothing she could do…

……………………

"Kairi!"

Auron's head snapped up.

_Yuna._ If he didn't do something quickly, they would all be slaughtered. _No… I won't let it happen again. What a fool I am… I refuse to fail again. I refuse…_

The swordsman snapped free of the web that bound him, taking sword in hand and he rushed in front of Aidan, lifting Kairi into his arms.

But somehow…

Somehow he knew that he wouldn't get out of the way in time. He felt the cold tip of the blade plunge into his side, piercing through his lungs. Auron stumbled, but he held on to Kairi as tight as he could.

……………………

Hah. Another cliffhanger.

Because I'm somewhat discouraged by the hundreds of hits and only two reviews. C'mon, guys, I know you're reading… Right?

Bwah.

Even though, I'll keep writing no matter how many reviews I get.

Be glad I like this story.

Reviews?


	10. Auron Dies & Alice's Gift

Sorta sad chapter… Poor Auron.

-_Lovely Catastrophe_  
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**Chapter Nine: Auron Dies/Alice's Gift  
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.**

_What? …Where am I? I'm supposed to be dead…_

Kairi felt strong arms around her, and the faint scent of something alcoholic drifted around her a bit. The Princess opened her eyes and found herself being held by Auron. But something was off…

_His eyes… he looks like…_

She felt something warm on her arm… Kairi dared to glance…

_Blood…? Oh no…_

"Auron…?"

He gave her a faint smile, the first genuine one she had ever seen on his face.

"I can… rest now… Kick… kick his ass for me… won't you…?" He set Kairi on her feet, and slumped to the ground, Aidan pulling his sword from the fallen warrior's body.

The Princess took a step backwards, horrified. She had never… she hadn't ever had to watch someone die… right in front of her.

Aidan on the other hand was simply disgusted.

"Fool. What a mess… He wasn't supposed to die first. Now I have to wipe off my sword."

Kairi felt warm tears come to her eyes. _He died for me. He ran in front of that blade so that I wouldn't be killed…_ The moisture began to trickle down her cheeks and she found herself shaking uncontrollably.

Not from sadness, butfrom rage.

She took two shaky steps forward, gripping the handle of Auron's sword. It was shoved into the ground in its resting position as it usually was. Aidan smirked at her.

"Pathetic girl… Do you really think you can wield that blade? And defeat me? You're… dreaming."

After the last word, the Imagi began to laugh evilly, and he turned his back to her, going to retrieve his other sword.

……………………

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine watched quietly from the other side of the barrier.

"She's crazy." Paine began, folding her arms against her chest. "Auron himself had trouble lifting that thing, and he was a master with it. Kairi won't even get it out of the ground…"

Rikku bit her lip, tugging on her cousin's arm.

"Do you think she's going to die, Yunie…?"

The Summoner shook her head, a confident smile on her face.

"No, Rikku. I think she's going to win."

Paine huffed, shaking her head.

"You're all crazy."

……………………

The Princess tugged fiercely at the weapon, determined to pull it out of the ground. But no matter how strong her anger was, she just couldn't free it. Kairi felt like crying again, until she felt a warm presence in her mind.

_Kairi._

Auron?

_Take up my sword and fight. To you I give my strength and heart. Guard both well, and use them wisely. Save these worlds from destruction, and send the nightmares back to the darkness._

But…

_You have to be strong now. Take care, kid._

The warmth surged into her heart, where it burrowed directly into her being, as if it had become a part of her now. She felt renewed, and tried once more to lift the swordsman's weapon from the ground.

It slid out effortlessly, and she held it with both hands down at her side, eyes focused on Aidan.

The Imagi's ears pricked up as he felt her eyes on his back again. He picked up his other sword and turned to face her again. She could have sworn she saw surprise flash across his face for a split-second.

"Well, well—"

"Not so pathetic now, am I?" Kairi snapped, cutting him off. Fierce determination burned in her eyes and now SHE was the one to rush HIM.

Auron's colossal blade collided with both of Aidan's, and the Imagi was struggling to hold his balance. Inwardly, he was a string of profanity, and the mask of no emotion that he wore was shattered, replaced by panic.

_What a blasted turn of events. I'm going to have to retreat… We will meet again, young Princess._

And with that, he disappeared, Kairi tumbling to the ground in a heap. Her first reaction was anger. She wanted so badly to…

_Is this what wanting revenge feels like? It makes me kinda feel guilty… But…_

She began to cry, hanging on to Auron's sword for balance.

_No one else will die for me. I swear it.I understand now what I have to do. I just wish… I just wish I had figured it out earlier…_

As Kairi sniffled quietly, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She knew who it was without even having to turn around. Embarrassed, she wiped her tears off with her arm, and stood to her feet. The owner of the hand slid her arms around Kairi's waist, and the Princess placed her hands over Yuna's, lacing their fingers together.

The Summoner sighed quietly, resting her chin on the taller girl's shoulder.

"It's gonna be alright, you know…"

"Yeah…"

_I know._

……………………

They had found the Queen and her servants locked up in a room of the castle, bound with ropes. (The Queen had even been gagged, as Eileen grew tired of her constant shout: "OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!")

And, as Kairi untied the gag, she found she wasn't very fond of the Queen's voice either. The card people had to roll her off her behind and onto her feet, since her legs were too short for her to do that herself.

Then, without a word of thanks, she waddled down the hallway, card knights in tow.

"So much for gratitude." Paine mumbled, crossing her arms.

Kairi giggled, watching the round form of the Queen disappear around the corner. "Oh well. That's not what we're here for, anyways." _But it feels like I'm forgetting something…_

_"Oh, you most certainly are, Miss Kairi."_

"What?" The Princess blinked and looked around, causing the other three girls to stare at her as if she was crazy. _I thought I heard a voice…_

_"You did! It was me!"_

A blonde-haired girl floated down from the ceiling, her descent eased by a purple umbrella. She landed gracefully on her feet, and held the umbrella at her side. The girl was wearing a blue dress with a white apron of sorts over that, and her eyes were just about as blue as her dress. She looked cartoonish, whimsical even, but Kairi felt as if she already knew her.

"Alice?"

"Oh, wonderful! You know who I am!" The girl clapped her hands excitedly. "That makes things a whole lot easier. The King was right when he said we were all connected, the seven of us."

Then it dawned on Kairi.

"You're a Princess of Heart too, aren't you? Just like me?"

"Yes, that's right. Alice of Wonderland. Or… I guess you could say, Alice IN Wonderland, because, I wasn't really born here. Oh, but that's beside the point. I have a gift for you, Miss Kairi."

Kairi blinked.

"A gift… for me?"

Alice giggled, nodding her head. "Yes, of course! You really are peculiar… Now, hold still for a moment."

Kairi began to feel that warm sensation again, like she had felt when Auron had given her his strength. Alice began to fade before her eyes, and she giggled again, smiling. Kairi fidgeted, a tad bit worried.

"Don't be frightened. I'm lending you my heart for a little while as you go on your journey. Take care of it, alright?"

With that, Alice disappeared completely from view. Kairi knew exactly where she was, though. _Safe. With Auron. Thanks, Alice._

Rikku was watching with her jaw wide open. Of course, that was to be expected, since it wasn't every day people just up and disappeared. Paine shook her head, pushing the Al Bhed's mouth closed. Yuna was bouncing lightly on her heels, admiring the Princess, and not really paying much attention to anything else.

Kairi turned to them.

"You guys ready to go?"

The other three girls grinned, posing with their weapons.

"Y, R, P, ready for action!" They shouted at the same time, nodding their heads. Kairi tried not to laugh.

_I think I'm gonna make it through this after all. With Rikku, and Paine… and Yuna… Alice and Auron, too. I'm not alone. And I never will be._

She grinned to herself.

_This is gonna be one hell of an adventure._

……………………

Sappy, sappy, sappy… well, basically, all chapters up till now have been the beginning of the story, really.

This one was kinda short. And maybe a little OOC. Crap.

But I'm tired.

New chapter tomorrow, maybe.

If I make it through violin lessons. XD


	11. Altercations and Solidarity

Nggggggg… idk if I should be writing this chapter right now. Lol

Kinda got a bit of writer's block goin' on.

Dangit.

-_Lovely Catastrophe  
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**Chapter Ten: Altercations and Solidarity  
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.**

The girls had been walking for about an hour at the most, having just left Wonderland behind and hot on the trail of the Imagi. Kairi was enjoying the peace and quiet for the most part, but she knew that it wouldn't last long…

"I'm tired of walking!" Rikku shrieked out of the blue, her lips turning into a pout. "Can't we stop and rest?"

The Princess looked back at her, a lazy grin gracing her features.

"We haven't even been walking for more than an hour yet… besides…" She shifted Auron's sword on her shoulder, making it a bit more comfortable. "You don't have that much to carry."

Rikku whimpered, turning to Paine first for support. The warrior girl frowned, dragging her own heavy sword behind her.

"She's right, you know. You ought to toughen up a little bit."

The little Al Bhed began to whine again, clinging to her cousin's arm.

"Yuniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie… they're so mean to me… I'm tough, right? I just want a little break…"

The Summoner giggled, patting Rikku's head.

"Just hang on a little longer, alright? We're bound to end up somewhere in no time."

The blonde sighed, letting go of Yuna and falling back into step beside Paine. It wasn't her fault she was the youngest of the group and therefore tired of walking much easier. Sure, she wasn't carrying a big heavy weapon, but that didn't mean she didn't get worn out.

"Man… I wish we had some chocobos or somethin'… That'd make stuff a lot easier."

"Chocobo…?" Kairi mused, her attention focused back on Rikku again, "What's a Chocobo?"

"It's kinda like a big yellow bird, sorta… only… they're tall enough to carry a person and they can run really fast. And they're really friendly too. You just have to catch'em." The Al Bhed replied, still looking distressed from being turned down for a break.

"Where do you find them?"

"In Spira. Only… well—" The thief didn't seem like she was able to find the right words to use.

"Only… we don't remember that much about Spira… only that it existed, and that we used to be a part of it." Paine interrupted, cutting Rikku off. The warrior shot Kairi a dark glance with her crimson eyes, and the Princess sensed she was entering hostile territory by bringing up the touchy subject, and she decided not to press either of them much further.

She turned her gaze to Yuna, who was walking quietly beside her, wearing the thoughtful look that she got whenever things began to get tense or confusing. The girl was always the epitome of calmness, and Kairi didn't get how she stayed that way.

"Paine… don't be so hard on Rikku. Or Kairi either. It's not her fault she knows so little about us. And it's not a bad thing that Rikku wants to tell her…" Yuna's eyes never moved from the ground in front of her.

"Are you afraid of our past…?" The Summoner finally turned to look at Paine with these words, an indignant look on her face now.

The group stopped walking. Paine was unnerved by Yuna's gaze, but she didn't back down. Her fighting spirit wouldn't allow her to do that.

"Of course not!" The warrior replied angrily. "I just don't think it's a good idea to bring up topics of conversation that we ourselves aren't even sure of. We don't even know if we really did die, Yuna. We don't know if we were born fairies or not. All we know is that for some reason, those thoughts were planted in our heads. What if they're false? What if Spira is a lie? What if chocobos and all the other snippets of fantasy that we seem to have 'remembered' are lies?"

"That's not true, Paine!" Yuna snapped, slight tears forming in her eyes. "Everything's real and you know it! Stop being such a cynic and start believing for once!"

She would not allow the world she had dreamed of for so long be torn apart like that. They had a home… they just couldn't find it. And even though they didn't remember what it was like, that didn't mean it didn't exist… did it?

"Well, maybe you should stop being so gullible and believing in everything that everyone tells you! Wake up to the real world, Yuna. It's not fluffy ponies and sparkles all the time!"

The Summoner bit her lip, and she felt one of the warm tears trail its way down her cheek. Paine had been cold before, but never outright mean… not like this. The warrior opened her mouth to speak again, to deliver more biting words, and Yuna braced herself.

That was, until a resounding slap broke the silence.

Kairi had stepped forward, unable to watch Paine verbally attack Yuna for much longer, and had smacked the warrior across the cheek. _Hard_. And now there was a look of shock on Paine's face that neither Yuna nor Rikku had ever seen before.

Paine wasn't the kind to get shocked about anything.

The Princess didn't seem remorseful about what she had done in the slightest, however, and she began to speak.

"Go cool off, Paine. **Now**. Rikku, go with her. Make sure she calms down, alright?"

Kairi wasn't angry, but more or less trying to fix the situation. The slap had been a means of shutting Paine up. That didn't make Rikku any less intimidated, and she squeaked when the Princess addressed her, unable to move. Paine still seemed in a bit of shock, and she seemed to be trying to figure out which emotion to feel: anger or humility.

"I said, _go_. **Now**." Kairi repeated, more authority in her voice. She shifted Auron's sword again, as a sign that she meant business.

Rikku tugged at Paine's sleeve and led her off a ways, towards the shade of a few of the translucent trees, where they would be out of sight.

The Princess turned back to face Yuna, who was sniffling uncontrollably. Kairi wished she knew some comforting words to say, or what to do… The sight of Yuna's tears just made her want to cry herself.

_What should I do…? She's so sad… and I… how do I make her feel better?_

She did the only thing she could think of. Kairi approached Yuna warily, pulling the other girl into an embrace. The Princess was startled when the Summoner clung to her tightly, crying into her shoulder.

_Paine really upset her… I can understand why… it's got to be hard having what you believe in looked down on by one of your best friends… and then to be insulted…_

"It really does exist…" Yuna's voice was muffled by Kairi's shoulder. "I swear it does… I'm going to find Spira someday…"

Kairi ran her fingers through the younger girl's russet colored hair, and kissed Yuna's forehead tenderly before replying.

"I know you will. Cuz I'm gonna help you find it."

Her voice seemed to calm Yuna a bit, and she felt the Summoner's breathing ease back into a normal pattern. Suddenly, Yuna pulled away from Kairi, obviously embarrassed that her face was covered in tears and she was in such a state.

Yuna tried to wipe the moisture from her eyes, but Kairi stopped her, grabbing her wrist gently. The Summoner froze, transfixed as the Princess grazed her cheek with her soft thumb, removing the tears that had stained her lovely face.

Kairi was smiling at her, and she stepped towards the Summoner, fully intending to plant a kiss on Yuna's lips. And Yuna would have probably gone along with it the entire way, if she hadn't remembered that Rikku and Paine were not very far off as the Princess' lips made contact with her own.

"W-w-wait… Rikku and Paine…" She mumbled faintly into Kairi's mouth nervously.

_This is taking a lot of self-control… oh Yevon…_

"What about them…" Kairi replied in a low voice, one that Yuna found quite irresistible and was making it harder for her to protest. That, and the fact that she wasn't exactly opposed to the Princess's arms snaking their way around her waist, drawing her close.

If Yuna hadn't been so polite, she probably would have been thinking 'screw Paine and Rikku, let them find out'. But, unfortunately, she WAS that polite.

"They might see…" Yuna whispered, face flushed with pink. Kairi was smirking playfully at her.

"Then let them."

……………………

"Dr. P?"

A scowl. No response.

"Paine…? Please don't be mad… What you said to Yunie was kinda hurtful…"

Still nothing.

"Why… why did you say those things, Paine?"

The warrior snorted, pushing herself up off of the tree she had been leaning on. She crossed her arms, looking rather surly and inapproachable.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Don't be like that. Try me. Explain it to where I can understand."

Paine glanced at Rikku warily, before sighing and giving in.

"To be quite honest… I don't really know… I was scared I guess." She held up a hand at this point, for it seemed that Rikku was keen on interrupting. "Yeah, I do get scared sometimes too. But I can't really figure out why…"

The warrior had a contemplative look on her face.

"When we were back there… in the castle… When we were stuck behind that shield… I had this really weird feeling pass over me. It happened when that cat-girl thing looked at me. Her eyes… they were so… intense… and when I got caught in her stare, I felt as if nothing would ever go right again… So much despair washed over me all at once…"

Rikku's eyes swirled with understanding, as if what had happened had just dawned on her.

"So… when Yunie started talking about Spira… and our pasts… You got the same feeling again?"

"Yeah."

"Aww… Poor Dr. P. You could use a snuggly!"

"A wha-" The younger girl then proceeded to glomp the warrior, and Paine figured out quickly what a 'snuggly' was. And that she disliked it _intensely_. But as long as it was Rikku doing it… well… she figured it would be all right.

For a little while…

And then…

Paine's tolerance of the situation began to deteriorate.

"Rikku… not that I mind you squeezing the life out of me, but could you please let go? I'm losing air pretty fast."

"Right-o, Dr. P."

"Stop that."

With that, the two began to bicker playfully with each other, and they started off back towards Yuna and Kairi.

……………………

What had started out as a kiss had turned into a playful game of tag, seeing as Kairi had made the mistake of finding out that Yuna was ticklish, and the Summoner, wanting revenge, decided to chase her around the fields.

Although Yuna was a bit swifter than Kairi, the Princess had longer legs, and was able to lope out of the younger girl's reach every time she got close. Not that either of them were really trying all that hard to win the game.

They were giggling their heads off, and when Yuna got close enough to grab hold of Kairi once again, she found herself tumbling to the ground on top of the other girl as they both lost their balance. The girls laughed for a bit, both too lazy to move. Besides, they enjoyed the presence of one another too much.

Yuna nuzzled into Kairi's shoulder, sighing contentedly.

"Kairi…?"

The Princess opened her sapphire eyes, a dreamy smile on her face.

"Yeah?"

"When you said that you would help me look for Spira… did you mean it?"

Kairi propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at the girl who was resting partially in her lap.

"Yeah. I did. Finding this place means a lot to you, I can tell."

"After we find it… can we visit your home too?"

The Princess blinked at her questioningly.

"Sure… but why?"

"Well…" Yuna began, relaxing her body against Kairi's. "I wanna meet some of the people there. Like Sora, and Riku… and your other friends that you've mentioned."

Kairi smiled, gently tracing her fingers down Yuna's back.

"Okay. When we're done with everything, after we've found Spira too, I'll take you back home."

"Yuniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie! Kairiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Rikku's high-pitched voice ruined the tender moment, and Kairi had to keep herself from giggling as she watched Yuna roll her eyes.

The Princess started to get up, but found it kind of hard to do with Yuna stubbornly clinging to her body.

"I don't want to get up…" She murmured lazily. "You're comfortable."

Kairi smirked. "Hey now… a second ago you weren't too keen on them finding out about us…"

"Knowing Paine, they probably already know."

"Damn right."

The warrior was looming over them, an all-knowing smirk on her face. Her arms were crossed as usual, but she wasn't angry in the slightest.

"I don't know what gave it away, the puppy-dog glances or your constant need to be within three feet of each other at all times."

Kairi pouted, prying a reluctant Yuna from her body. The Princess stood up and brushed herself off, then helped the Summoner to her feet as well.

"We aren't that clingy…"

All was well again, and the previous quarrel seemed to have been forgotten. Paine didn't look as though she wanted to bring anything up, and Kairi and Yuna didn't much want to, either.

Some things were best left forgotten anyways.

Rikku was running towards them now, oblivious to all that had transpired.

"Aw, Paine, you found them first. Not faiiiiiiir." She whined, jumping up and down at the warrior's side.

"It wasn't a competition, Rikku…"

The Al Bhed blew her a raspberry, which Paine conveniently ignored. Kairi lifted Auron's sword back onto her shoulder.

"Time to go again? I think we've had a long enough break…"

And with a few more words and Rikku's complaint about how she hadn't known they were taking a break, the group set off again.

……………………

_"You two are the most incompetent fools I have ever created…"_

"Yes sir…"

"_Do NOT fail me again! The consequences of that would be extremely dire, let me assure you. Now… I have a new task for you to accomplish… Tamper with the Princess' heart as much as you can. Find whatever it takes to break her spirit as you are conquering my lands. I don't care if you cannot defeat her physically…_

_"But if her mind is ripped apart, her body will soon follow. Do you understand?"_

"Yes sir!"

_"Good. Now get out of my sight."_

……………………

Rawr, this is basically a filler chapter. Cutesy buttons.

More fighting in the next one, I promise. :)


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